April 1st 2026 marks the 100th birthday of Anne McCaffrey (1926 - 2011). Although she wrote many wonderful books and series, I’d like to devote the month of April to taking a closer look at her Dragonriders Of Pern series, which easily my favourite of all her books. I’ve mentioned the series here before but … Continue reading Anne McCaffrey Centenary: Pern Appreciation Month
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A Comic Collection Ian Likes: Voyager and The World Shapers featuring The Sixth Doctor
Colin Baker was announced as the sixth actor to play Doctor Who in 1983. He took over from the incumbent Time Lord in the TARDIS, Peter Davison, during the 21st season of the Classic run of the series in 1984. He made his debut in the final moments of that season’s sixth story, The Caves … Continue reading A Comic Collection Ian Likes: Voyager and The World Shapers featuring The Sixth Doctor
A Novel Ian Likes: Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke
Gilbert Norrell lives with a smug satisfaction caused by being the only practicing magician in Regency England. There are others who would like to study the magical arts, but he has successfully tied up the market for himself… until a young man named Jonathan Strange comes along and upends all that Mr Norrell thought he … Continue reading A Novel Ian Likes: Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke
A Movie Ian Likes: Krull
Colwyn and Lyssa are the heirs to their respective kingdoms. They’ve come up with a plan to unite them in the face of a mysterious enemy called the Beast. The Beast has a travelling castle and has been terrorising the world of Krull. Colwyn and Lyssa’s plan is pretty simple: they’re going to get married, … Continue reading A Movie Ian Likes: Krull
An Update: Espedair Street by Iain Banks
I don't normally do this, but I sort of committed to it in an earlier blog post. Back in May 2021, I blogged about the late and great Iain Banks's biopic novel Espedair Street. I mentioned in the course of that post that it had been dramatised in 1998 by BBC Radio. In the closing … Continue reading An Update: Espedair Street by Iain Banks
The Great Discworld Retrospective No. 41: The Shepherd’s Crown
Sir Terry Pratchett passed away on March 12, 2015. An advocate of Assisted Dying, he nevertheless succumbed to the conditions of his Alzheimer’s Disease and died of natural causes. For those of us on social media, these were the Tweets that alerted us: I have written elsewhere on how this affected me. In short, despite … Continue reading The Great Discworld Retrospective No. 41: The Shepherd’s Crown
The Great Discworld Retrospective No. 23: Carpe Jugulum
King Verence and Queen Magrat of Lancre have a daughter and are inviting the high and the mighty from all the neighbouring regions to celebrate her naming day with them. However, Granny Weatherwax’s invitation has been misplaced and she is under the illusion that she hasn’t been invited. Unfortunately, her absence means that some foolishly … Continue reading The Great Discworld Retrospective No. 23: Carpe Jugulum
A Novel Ian Likes: Joyland by Stephen King
Devin Jones has taken a summer job at an amusement park hoping to get over the girl who broke his heart. As the summer progresses, though, he becomes embroiled in an old mystery concerning the murder of a local girl and the culprit who was never found… When I was younger I was a huge … Continue reading A Novel Ian Likes: Joyland by Stephen King
The Great Discworld Retrospective No. 5: Sourcery
It’s tempting to call Sourcery a return to the “roots” of Discworld after a couple of books away from them but, really, using the rest of the series for some perspective, they hadn’t actually gone too far from them. We get Rincewind and his lethal luggage back, as well as the return of the faculty … Continue reading The Great Discworld Retrospective No. 5: Sourcery
A Reference Book Ian Likes: The Encyclopedia Of Science Fiction (1978)
First things first, this isn’t an actual or proper encyclopaedia. It’s a collection of essays that each detail a particular aspect of the history and make-up of Science Fiction. But it’s lavishly illustrated and features a fairly comprehensive list of magazines and awards relevant to the field as well as a chronology of movies that … Continue reading A Reference Book Ian Likes: The Encyclopedia Of Science Fiction (1978)
A Trilogy Ian Likes: Helliconia by Brian Aldiss
Helliconia is an unremarkable planet. Its primary orbit is around Batalix, with a year equal to about 480 Earth days. But Batalix is in an irregular orbit around Freyr, a larger star. This orbit causes some unusual fluctuations in Helliconia’s climate, with the result that it experiences a second year, which the inhabitants refer to … Continue reading A Trilogy Ian Likes: Helliconia by Brian Aldiss
A Novel Ian Likes: Ash: A Secret History by Mary Gentle
Ash is an orphan girl who has become the leader of a respected mercenary company in late 15th Century Europe. Her company enjoys its success because of the “voices” in her head. These voices advise her on battle tactics and strategy. While other women might be taken as being insane, Ash is seen as touched … Continue reading A Novel Ian Likes: Ash: A Secret History by Mary Gentle
A Novel Ian Likes: The Woodlanders by Thomas Hardy
Grace Melbury was promised to Giles Winterbourne by her father when they were both very young. Giles has held true to this promise, but Grace’s father has realised that in making Grace “worthy” of Giles, she has been educated far beyond the station of a tenant farmer. Giles accepts that Grace does not deserve the … Continue reading A Novel Ian Likes: The Woodlanders by Thomas Hardy
A Novel Ian Likes: Salem’s Lot by Stephen King
Ben Mears, a mildly successful writer, has returned to the small town of Salem’s Lot after the death of his wife. He spent a lot of time there as a boy and is hoping to regain some of the calmness of spirit he felt as a child. He begins research on a new book and, … Continue reading A Novel Ian Likes: Salem’s Lot by Stephen King
A Series Ian Likes: The Sarantine Mosaic by Guy Gavriel Kay
Caius Crispus, known as Crispin, is a mosaicist, mourning his family after their deaths in a recent outbreak of plague. His friend and mentor, Martinian, has been summoned to the city of Sarantium to work on a project for Emperor Valerius. He does not want to go and sends Crispin in his place. But Crispin … Continue reading A Series Ian Likes: The Sarantine Mosaic by Guy Gavriel Kay